Friday, February 22, 2013

Government provides nod to Faridabad Metro link

NEW DELHI: The extension of Delhi Metro into the (NCR) got a shot in the arm with the Haryana government signing aMoU with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) for the extension of the Central Secretariat-Badarpur section.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) began construction work for a nearly 14-km link to connect the satellite town Faridabad in Haryana with the national capital.

The Badarpur-Faridabad link is an extension of the existing Metro line 6 (Violet Line), which currently runs from Central Secretariat to Badarpur. The line will be prolonged to Faridabad, an industrial and residential town in Haryana, neighbouring Delhi.

The 13.8 km corridor, which is part of the Phase III of the Delhi Metro network, will have nine stations and will terminate at YMCA Chowk. Work on the extension has already started, with DMRC awarding the tender for the construction this year.

The fully-elevated corridor, the longest Metro line in the NCR, will be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 2,494 crore and is expected to be commissioned by 2014, said a DMRC spokesperson. According to the detailed project report (DPR), the daily ridership of the 13.875 km metro corridor is expected to be 2.14 lakhs in 2014 after commissioning of the corridor. The corridor will be a standard gauge corridor, that is of 1435 mm. The stations on the corridor are Sarai, NHPC Chowk, MewalaMaharajpur, Sector 27 A, BadkalMor, Old Faridabad, Ajronda, Faridabad New Town and YMCA Chowk.

“The funding pattern of the corridor is such that the Haryana government will give Rs 1,472.4 crore, which is excluding the cost of land. The government of India will pitch in with Rs 536.6 crore while DMRC will put in Rs 400 crore in the form of rolling stock. The required land for the construction of the project is being provided free of cost by the Haryana government to DMRC on lease basis, an official close to the metro project said.

A train maintenance depot will also be constructed near Sector 20 A in Faridabad and will be called Ajronda Depot. The work has commenced for the boundary wall, added the Delhi Metro spokesperson. The corridor will cover a distance of approximately 43.40km from Kashmere Gate to YMCA Chowk in Faridabad.

"On this corridor, Delhi Metro will be using specially designed pre-cast U-shaped girders to complete the viaduct in a short time of 20 months. This is for the first time in Delhi Metro's history where a single span of approximately 27 metres in length and weighing about 160 tonnes will be used," a DMRC spokesman said.
According to the Detailed Project Report (DPR), the daily ridership of the Metro corridor is expected to be 2.14 lakh, after commissioning of the corridor for the public.

"The fully elevated corridor will be completed by 2014 and it will have nine Metro stations, connecting Badarpur and YMCA Chowk in Faridabad," the statement said.

The stations are SaraiKhwaja, NHPC Chowk, MewlaMaharajpur, Sector 27-A, BadhkhalModh, Old Faridabad, Ajraunda, Faridabad New Town and YMCA Chowk.